Although numerous studies of school libraries in other states have proven that well-funded, well-staffed school library programs have a positive impact on student achievement, a 2008 meeting with Lucille Davy, then NJ Education Commissioner, prompted NJASL to commission a New Jersey study to clearly answer the following questions:
A team of researchers from the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers University undertook an intensive two-phase study of the place of school libraries in the New Jersey educational program. The lead researcher in the study, Dr. Ross Todd, reported “the findings show that New Jersey school libraries and school librarians contribute in rich and diverse ways to the intellectual life of a school, and to the development of students who can function in a complex and increasingly digital information environment.”